Proprietary Deception
Other examples of proprietary malware
This document reports instances where proprietary software is dishonest or conceals deception or trickery.
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A top-ranking proprietary Instagram client promising to tell users who's been watching their pictures was in reality stealing their credentials, advertising itself on their feed, and posting images without their consent.
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Volkswagen programmed its car engine computers to detect the Environmental Protection Agency's emission tests, and run dirty the rest of the time.
https://www.petri.com/volkswagen-used-software-to-cheat-on-emissions.
In real driving, the cars exceeded emissions standards by a factor of up to 35.
Using free software would not have stopped Volkswagen from programming it this way, but would have made it harder to conceal.